We’re pleased to share the recording and key takeaways from today’s Creative Planning webinar for our Women’s Forum community, Strategic Financial Planning for 2027.
The program explored strategies individuals and families can consider before year-end 2026 and throughout 2027 to support their financial goals, provide for loved ones and give to causes they care about.
Whether you missed the live program or would like to view it again, click below to access these resources:
Key Takeaways
Estate Planning & Lifetime Gifting
Thoughtful estate planning can help ensure your wealth passes to the people and causes you intend, in the way you envision. Coordinating with your wealth advisor, estate planning attorney and tax advisor is essential.
- Understand the federal exemption. For 2026, the federal lifetime gift and estate tax exemption is $15 million per individual—potentially $30 million for a married couple with appropriate planning—with annual inflation adjustments beginning in 2027.
- Consider annual gifting. In 2026, qualifying gifts of up to $19,000 per recipient can reduce your taxable estate without using your lifetime gift and estate tax exemption.
- Explore the role of trusts. Different trusts can help manage how and when assets are distributed, support beneficiaries and, depending on their structure, provide tax benefits.
Retirement Planning
Creating a tax-efficient retirement income strategy involves more than deciding how much to withdraw. Coordinating withdrawals from taxable, tax-deferred and tax-free accounts can help meet your income needs while managing your overall tax exposure.
Charitable Giving
How you give can affect both your charitable impact and your taxes.
- Consider appreciated investments. Donating eligible appreciated securities held for more than one year, either directly to a charity or to a donor-advised fund, may offer tax advantages over donating cash.
- Explore qualified charitable distributions. Individuals age 70½ or older can make eligible distributions directly from an IRA to a qualified charity. These distributions can satisfy all or part of an IRA’s required minimum distribution, when applicable, while generally excluding the donated amount from taxable income.
Investment & Tax Planning
A coordinated investment strategy considers what you own, where you hold it and when you make changes.
- Evaluate tax-loss harvesting. Selling investments at a loss can help offset realized capital gains. Reinvesting in a replacement investment requires attention to wash-sale rules.
- Be strategic about account placement. Holding different investments in taxable, tax-deferred or tax-free accounts can help manage taxes based on how investment income and gains are treated.
- Rebalance with purpose. Periodically adjusting your portfolio back toward its target allocation helps manage concentration and keep your investments aligned with your goals and risk tolerance.
- Plan ahead for property sales. Selling a personal residence and selling an investment property have different tax implications. Understanding those differences before a sale can help inform your decisions.
These are just a few highlights. Watch the 30-minute recording for more insights and consider which strategies to discuss with your advisory team as you prepare for 2027.
Resources:
Please let us know if you would like to have a conversation with us. Email the Women’s Forum with any questions at womensforum@creativeplanning.com!
